1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed at a prime mover, in general, and to a self-contained electro-magnetically driven power wheel, in particular.
2. Prior Art
Modern man relies extremely heavily on motorized vehicles for transportation. For individual movement, man relies nearly as heavily upon land based motorized vehicles. Primary among such vehicles is the automobile. However, conventional automobiles are now becoming a severe problem. For example, increasing costs and diminishing supplies of fossil fuels, the public's growing concern and awareness of the problem of air pollution and, to a lesser extent, the problem of noise pollution, have motivated inventors to search for a practical alternative to the internal combustion engine as a means of motive power for vehicles.
In the past, alternatives such as steam driven vehicles have been tried and discarded as impractical. More recently, electric cars have been viewed as a viable alternative.
Resistive motor speed controls, especially common to golf carts and the like, have been used. These controls operate smoothly, though inefficiently, at all but maximum speed. More recently, pulse-width modulation techniques in designs employing high-current Darlington transistors have been limited to the control of low-horsepower motors. These controls are load sensitive and operate at a frequency which tends to resonate field laminations of electric motors, thus producing an audible whining sound as well as having other objectionable characteristics.
In addition, alternative power sources have other drawbacks for use in vehicular applications. For example, battery operated vehicles have suffered from short range, low speed, and excessive weight. Also, recharge requirements impose long down-time periods. These shortcomings must be overcome before an electric vehicle becomes a viable alternative.